NORAD scrambled to escort Canadian plane because of rowdy, drunken passengers

TORONTO, Aug. 28 (UPI) -- The North American Aerospace Defense Command scrambled two CF-18 fighter jets Wednesday to escort a Canadian commercial airliner after the flight was disrupted by the drunken behavior of two female passengers.

Sunwing Flight 656 was en route from Toronto to Havana when two women in their mid-20s set off the smoke detector in the lavatory where they were allegedly smoking and consuming alcohol purchased at duty-free.

Once discovered, they reportedly got "into a physical altercation with each other," according to the airline, and threatened some sort of action against the plane, which the crew determined was impossible "given their condition." Sunwing said that it followed procedure by reporting the incident and diverting the flight to its point of origin.

NORAD reported that the military escort was dispatched "as a precautionary measure," and that "Once the aircraft was safely on the ground, the Canadian fighters returned to their home base" in Bagotville, Quebec.

The women were removed from the plane, said airport police spokesman Const. George Tudos, and spent the evening in a Canadian jail. A judge was expected to review their case on Thursday.

Sunwing describes itself as "Canada's leading high frills, low cost airline."